Strip detector for cigar rolling device



Sept. 20, 1960 v. ANDERSON STRIP DETECTOR FOR CIGAR ROLLING DEVICE Filed Dec. 11, 1958 FIG.

VERNER ANDERSON W ATTORNEY F lG. 2

United States Patent STRIP DETECTOR FOR CIGAR ROLLING Vemer Anderson, Staten Island, NLY., 'a'ssignor to International Cigar Machinery Company, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 11, 1958,'Ser.No.'779,700

6 Claims. (Cl. 131 21) This invention relates to the manufacture of cigars and more particularly to manufacturing cigars having a reinforced head end.

With both natural and processed leaf, it is frequently necessary or desirable to provide a reinforcing strip at the head end of the cigar. There has recently been developed mechanisms for applying a reinforcing strip to the head end of the cigar binder during manufacture. Such reinforcing strips are associated with the binder on the rolling table so that an end or the ends of the strip extend beyond the binder. Paste is then applied to the extending end or ends. In the event of failure of feed of the reinforcing strip, paste is applied to the rolling belt itself, resulting in gumming and soiling of the belt.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide mechanism for interrupting the operation of the entire machine when reinforcing strip is not fed to the strip delivery mechanism. It is an object of the invention to provide in a simplified structure such a device operated by the strip cutofi mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view illustrating the reinforcing strip detector in conjunction with the paste applying mechanism as well as the strip receiving and cutting .mechanisms;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, taken on 2-2 of 'Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional end elevation taken on line 33 of Fig. 1 illustrating the strip detector during detecting operation.

Referring to'the drawings, a striprec'eiving applicator platform is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in its receiving position above paste pot '11. Platform 10 corresponds to structure 14 of the copending application of Sigurd Clausen, Serial No. 756,793, filed August 25, 1958. Reinforcing strip 12 is intermittently fed thereto. During an intermittency in the feed the leading portion of the strip 12 is severed by the knife 14 against the ledger plate 16. The knife 14 is operated from the vertically reciprocating twisted link 18 which corresponds to the link 188 of the aforesaid application. The link 18 is connected to the free end of the knife actuating arm 20 which is rotatably supported by a stud 22 mounted on a bracket 24. The hub of arm 20 has a knife supporting flange 21 to which the knife is secured. A tension spring 26 surrounding stud 22 urges the knife 14 against ledger plate 16. The arm 20 carries a pin 28 which engages with the forked end of a lever '30 secured on a horizontal rock shaft 32 rotatably supported by the bearing bracket 34. Movement of link 18 therefore rocks the shaft 32. Secured to the shaft 32 is the adjustably mounted p aster arm 36. Also secured to the rock shaft 32 is an adjustably mounted stepped lever 38 contacting a pin 40 protruding from the block 42 rotatably mounted on the stud 22 and urged clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 2 or 3, by the torque spring 23. The feeler finger 44 is mounted in the block 42. Also secured to block 42 is a mercury line rotate the block 42 clockwise.

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switch 46 provided with the leads 48. The leads 48 may control the power feed to the cigar machine. As shown inF-ig. 3, the leads 48 are in circuit with a power source S and a relay coil 50 of a relay switch R. The relay switch R is in circuit between the power lines P and the motor M operating thecigar machine. When the feeler finger 44 moves downward to the dotted line position III of Fig. 3, the normally closed relay switch R is activated to open the'contacts in the motor circuit.

Operation In operation, the vertically reciprocating link 18, which is operated from and timed to the cigar machine, moves upwardly after the leading portion 12 of reinforcing strip has been placed on the applicator platform 10 by mechanism (not shown). This action of the link moves the knife 14 downwardly in a cutting motion to complete the feed of web to platform 10 and at the same time raises the forkedlever 30 to rock the shaft 32 counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 2 or 3. This motion of the rock shaft '32'1'aises the paster arm 36 and also raises the stepped end of the lever 38 from the pin 40 to permit the spring 23 to If the web portion 12 has been fed over the applicator platfolm 10, the clockwise rotation of the block 42 is arrested by the feeler finger 44 contacting the upper surface of the web portion 12 as shown in the 'full line position II of Fig. 3. Even a web of only slight stiffness will support the feeler finger over the small opening 45. The arrangement of the mercury switch is such that it will not be actuated by this much movement of the block 42. In the absence of a web portion 12, the feeler finger and block 42 continue their clockwise rotation to the dotted line position 111 shown in Fig. 3. This actuates the mercury switch 46 so that it may, through the leads 48, control or cut off power 'to the cigar machine. By reference to Fig. 3 it maybe noted that the position of the stepped lever 38 and the pin 40 is such that in the absence of a strip 12 the feeler finger 44 cannot drop lower than the dotted line position Ill because the pin 40 will strike stepped lever 38 here shown in its highest or raised position. This prevents the tip of finger 44 cocking and catching in slot 45. When the knife 14 is in its upward or non-cutting position (as during feed of the strip 12) the rock shaft 32 is rotated clockwise, the stepped lever 38-is engaged with the pin 40 and the feeler finger is in the raised position I also shown in dotted lines (Fig. 3).

When, as is normally the case, power to the cigar machine is not cut off and the vertically reciprocating link 18 moves downwardly,'the rock shaft 32 is rocked clockwise, lowering the stepped lever 38 on the pin 40, thereby rotating the block 42 counter-clockwise to raise the feeler finger 44 to the position I, as also shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, at the same time that the p-aster finger is descending into the pot 11 due to the same rotative motion of rock shaft 32.

I claim:

1. In a device securable to and operable from a cigar machine having intermittent feed means to supply a section of reinforcing material, a platform positioned to receive and support said section of reinforcing material, said platform having an opening formed therein underlying a portion of said section, a feeler finger, means normally urging said finger in one direction into said opening, detecting means operatively associated with said finger and constructed and arranged to be activated in response to the movement of said finger into said opening, said finger being normally obstructed from entering said opening by the presence of the section of reinforcing material overlying said opening, and a movable stop member movable during the operation of said feed means to obstruct movement of said'feeler finger to said strip 7 and said platform whereby said feeler'finger and saiddetecting means will be operable only during a predetermined time in the cycle of said feed means. 7 g

P '2. In a device securable to and operable from a cigar machine, a platform positioned to receive and support the leading end portion of a'strip of reinforcing material, said platform having an opening formed therein underlying a section of said leading end portion, severing means movable to and from a severing position to sever said strip adjacent said platform, a feeler finger, means. normally urging said finger in one direction into said opening, detecting means operatively associated with said finger and constructed and arranged to be activated in response to the movement of said finger into said opening, said finger being normally obstructed from entering said opening by the presence of said portion of strip overlying said opening, and a member movable with said severing to sever said section received and supported on said platform, a feeler finger movable into and out of said opening, detecting means operatively associated with said finger and constructed and arranged to be activated in response to the movement of said finger into said opening, said finger being normally obstructed from entering said opening by the presence of the said section of reinforcing material overlying said opening, and an arresting member movable with said knife and operative to move said feeler finger toward said strip and said platform during a pre- 1 determined appropriate time cycle of said knife, where by the absence of a strip may be detected once during each severing cycle of said knife.

4. In a device secun'able to and operable from a cigar said opening by the presence of the portion of said strip overlying said opening, and a member movable withsaid knife and operative to raise said feeler finger from said strip and said platform when said knife moves from said severing position, whereby the absence of a strip may be detected on each severing cycle of said knife and said detecting means will beincapacitated during the period of normal absence of said web from said platform durin a severing cycle. a

7 5; In a device securable to and operable from a power driven cigar machine having power drivemeans, a plat form positioned to receive and support a strip of reinforcing web material, said platform having an opening formed therein underlying said section, a feeler finger movable into and out of. said opening, switch means operatively associated with said finger and constructed and arranged to be activated in response to the movement of said finger into said opening, said switch means being interconnected into "said power-drive means and operative when activated to disconnect said power drive means from said cigar machine, said finger being normally obstructed from entering said opening by the presence of said strip of reinforcing material overlying said opening, and means to raise said finger-from saidstrip and said opening during a cycle of said cigar machine when a section of strip is not normally on said platform, whereby the absence ofa strip may be detected once during each cycle of said cigar machine and the power drive to said cigar machine may be arrested.

6. In a device securable to and operable from a cigar machine having intermittent feed means operable on each cycle of said machine to supply a section of reinforcing material, a platform positioned to receive and support said section of reinforcing material, said platform having an opening formed therein underlying a portion of said section, a feeler finger, means'operable from said mechanism to move said finger into said' opening once during each cycle of said mechanism, detecting means operatively associated with said'finger and constructed and arranged to be activated in response to the movement of said finger into said opening, said finger being normally obstructed'from entering said opening by the presence of machine, a platform positioned to receive .and support I the leading end portion of a strip of reinforcing material, said platform having an opening formed therein underlying said strip, a knife movable to and from a severing position to sever said leading end portion of said strip at the receiving end of said platform, a feeler finger, means the section of reinforcing material overlying said opening, whereby said feeler finger and said detecting'means will be operable only during a predetermined time in the cycle of said feed means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,177,651 Powers Apr. 4, 1916 1,688,789 Comiskey Oct. 23, 1928 2,192,903 Ferenci Mar. 12, 1940 2,580,136 Stevens Dec. 25, 1951 

